BERKELEY – California men's soccer alumnus Nick Lima will rejoin the U.S. Men's National Team for its upcoming training camp in New Jersey. The San Jose Earthquakes defender is one of 26 players competing for roster spots ahead of the United States' matches vs. Mexico on Sept. 6 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and vs. Uruguay on Sept. 10 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
 
The U.S. players will report to camp starting Sept. 1.
 
Lima, 24, has collected seven caps – with six starts – and two assists for the national team and last played for the USA in the Gold Cup earlier this summer. He started in Group D wins over Guyana, 4-0, and Trinidad & Tobago, 6-0, and in a 1-0 quarterfinal victory over Curaçao, as U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter's squad eventually finished as the tournament's runner-up to Mexico.
 
"Nick has clearly demonstrated these past two seasons with the Quakes that he is one of the best right backs in the country," Cal head coach Kevin Grimes said. "His play at the Gold Cup in the summer was outstanding, and he continues to shine with the USMNT."
 
Prior to the Gold Cup, Lima earned a national team invitation to a January 2019 training camp and to a camp in 2018. On Jan. 27, 2019, his first career assist and overall play for the U.S. earned him the Man of the Match honor in a 3-0 win over Panama in his national team debut.
 
Lima was a two-time All-Far West Region First-Team selection and a three-time All-Pac-12 pick during his time at Cal. He signed a Homegrown Player contract with the Earthquakes after his college career ended and finished fourth in the MLS Rookie of the Year voting in 2017.
 
The Castro Valley, California, product has started 71 of the 76 games he's played for San Jose and scored five goals and five assists in almost three seasons for his club. Lima started all 34 games last year, when he was named the 2018 Earthquakes Defensive Player of the Year. So far in 2019, Lima has notched one goal and two assists in 17 starts for the Quakes.